Wireless charging system for hearing instruments

Abstract

A facility is provided for the wireless resonant charging of rechargeable hearing instruments. The hearing instrument is freely positionable in a charging device for charging purposes. The charging device for the wireless charging has a transmit antenna arrangement, a transmit amplifier for actuating the transmit antenna arrangement and a charging space. The transmit antenna arrangement has two feeding points, which are spatially arranged in relation to the charging space such that a circularly polarized electromagnetic field can thus be generated in the charging space. The transmit amplifier actuates the antennas accordingly to generate a circularly polarized electromagnetic field in the charging space. In the process a coil arrangement generates a circularly polarized HF field. A good resonant coupling, even with a tilted hearing instrument, is possible, in other words with an undetermined and unpredictable orientation and position of the receive coil of the hearing instrument.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A charging device for wireless charging of a hearing instrument, the charging device comprising:
 a transmit antenna configuration; 
 a transmit amplifier for actuating said transmit antenna configuration; 
 a housing defining a charging space disposed within the charging device; 
 said transmit antenna configuration having at least two feeding points, said transmit antenna configuration and said feeding points disposed spatially in relation to said charging space such that a circularly polarized electromagnetic field can be generated in said charging space; and 
 said transmit amplifier connected to individually control each one of said at least two feeding points in order to generate the circularly polarized electromagnetic field. 
 
     
     
       2. The charging device according to  claim 1 , wherein said housing defining said charging space has a wall with electromagnetic shielding. 
     
     
       3. The charging device according to  claim 1 , wherein said transmit antenna configuration includes plurality of antennas. 
     
     
       4. The charging device according to  claim 3 , wherein said antennas are coils. 
     
     
       5. A charging system, comprising:
 a charging device for wireless charging of a hearing instrument, the charging device including: a transmit antenna configuration; a transmit amplifier for actuating said transmit antenna configuration; and a housing defining a charging space disposed within the charging device; said transmit antenna configuration having at least two feeding points, said transmit antenna configuration and said feeding points disposed spatially in relation to said charging space such that a circularly polarized electromagnetic field can be generated in said charging space; and said transmit amplifier connected to individually control each one of said at least two feeding points in order to generate the circularly polarized electromagnetic field; and 
 a wirelessly chargeable hearing instrument including: a rechargeable battery; a receive antenna configuration embodied for a resonant receipt of power; a charging facility embodied to transform a signal received by said receive antenna configuration into a charging signal, to charge said rechargeable battery by supplying the charging signal and to control a charging process, said charging facility having a detection facility embodied to detect a charging parameter value; and a transmit facility sending the charging parameter value in dependence on the resonant receipt of power to a charging device; 
 said charging device further having a regulation facility for receiving the charging parameter value from said transmit facility, and said transmit amplifier actuating said transmit antenna configuration in dependence on the charging parameter value. 
 
     
     
       6. The charging system according to  claim 5 , wherein said transmit amplifier actuates said transmit antenna configuration at a frequency regulated in dependence on the charging parameter value. 
     
     
       7. The charging system according to  claim 5 , wherein:
 said transmit antenna configuration includes a plurality of antennas; and 
 said transmit amplifier actuates said antennas individually with a transmit power regulated in dependence on the charging parameter value. 
 
     
     
       8. The charging device according to  claim 1 , wherein said transmit amplifier is connected to individually control each one of said at least two feeding points in order to generate the circularly polarized electromagnetic field during the wireless charging of the hearing instrument. 
     
     
       9. The charging device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a cover, said cover and said housing being electromagnetically shielded, said housing and said cover defining therebetween the charging space disposed within the charging device.